Why a CKC Foundation?

Photo by Holli Murphy

The Canadian Kennel Club Foundation (CKCF) was originally formed in response to an overwhelming wish among the Canadian purebred dog community to protect, support and celebrate the furry friends we love so much. Since then, dog show participants (including breeders, exhibitors, judges and kennel clubs) have raised tens of thousands of dollars in support of the CKCF's mission. Our raison d'être is continuously expanding as we bring together all shapes, sizes and mixes of dogs and their people!

​The CKCF's Vision is that:Canadian dogs will live the longest and healthiest lives possible while enjoying an optimal relationship with humans.​​The CKCF's Mission is to:​Improve the canine-human relationship and the health of Canadian dogs by empowering communities to educate their members on responsible dog ownership and enabling canine health research.

How We Do it

Photo by Beth Thomander

Health Research Grants

​The CKC Foundation is proud to promote research and projects aimed at supporting and improving good health across the dog population. The primary way we do this is by funding research into the causes, diagnosis and treatment of diseases in dogs through the award of our annual CKCF Research Grants. Projects in all fields of canine research are eligible for funding grants (worth up to $30,000 in 2015!) with particular emphasis on support for Canadian researchers.

​Our unique Pawsitivity Grants aim to increase awareness of the many benefits dogs bring to their owners and to Canadian society. Beginning in 2015, up to $20,000 in grants will be awarded to projects dedicated to highlighting and strengthening the human-animal bond.

Board of Directors

We're dog lovers, just like you.

Our Board of Directors is a group of dedicated dog lovers brought together by a common goal of raising funds for projects benefiting Canadian dogs. They are also professionals. In addition to extensive experience in a wide variety of business, government and corporate settings, our team also includes long-time pet owners and lovers as well as dog breeders, judges, handlers and trainers.

​Allison Foley

Allison Foley brings to the CKCF a lifetime of dedication to the world of purebred dogs. Starting as a junior handler in British Columbia, she went on to be an apprentice for some of Canada’s top professional handlers. She later became a professional handler herself and is one of Canada’s most winning handlers to date.

She has made Canadian history by winning more than 500 Best in shows. Piloting numerous dogs to top dog all breeds as well as top dog in their groups and top 10 all breeds. She is a founding member of the current CPHA and as well is currently the president. She has served as a Junior-handling representative in two different zones for the CKC as well as a Purebred dog inspector. Allison is also licensed to judge Junior handling in the United States under American Kennel Club rules.

Together with her husband Todd the two of them also enjoy limited but extremely successful breeding program in a number of different breeds including Shetland sheepdogs, pugs, poodles of all varieties, and beagles (where they have bred a Westminster KC breed winner).

Emily MacKinnon

​Emily’s experience as a development professional, entrepreneur and volunteer spans almost 20 years. She is a Member of the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) and is also the Manager, Market Expansion at CKC, which brings together her development expertise and her love of purebred dogs. Prior to joining the CKC’s management team, Emily co-founded Donor Gateway Inc. and worked as Research Manager and Development Officer at the CAMH Foundation.

Emily holds a B.Sc. from the University of Toronto which is where she began her development career as a senior member of the research team for The Campaign. She then established the MacKinnon Research consultancy and provided prospect research consulting services. She spoke at numerous fundraising conferences across North America and was invited to guest-lecture students in Humber College’s Fundraising and Volunteer Management Program.

​Emily is passionate about purebred dogs. She breeds German Shorthaired Pointers and enjoys working and competing with her dogs in the field and show ring as well as holding hunt training classes. Emily is a former member of the Board of Directors of the German Shorthaired Pointer Club of Canada and was the Founding Director of Pointing Dog Rescue Canada.

François L'Ecuyer

​Born and raised in Quebec City and a Université Laval alumni, François travelled in over 30 countries around the world and worked in France, Brazil, Colombia and the United States before settling down in Burlington, Ontario.

​While his involvement with the dog world has never been a full-time endeavour or an occupation, François was always a dog lover and animal welfare advocate. He has been a dog owner for decades, and is also an active member, volunteer and supporter for several canine clubs and association in Canada and abroad.

Having worked in public relations and project management his entire professional life, François works at one of the top branding agencies in Canada. His international travels, studies and work have helped him add English, Spanish and Portuguese to his native French.

​Kimberly Pennie

Kimberly has been involved in purebred dogs since 1992 after acquiring her first Akita. Since then, she has actively bred and shown both Akitas and Basenjis producing numerous Canadian and American champions as well as Best In show winners.

Professionally, upon completing her doctorate in biological engineering, Kimberly began a successful consulting career in environmental remediation and life cycle assessments for cradle to grave research of industrial chemicals. Through her work with both university graduate students and private industry she has an extensive background in scientific research and product development. Her personal interest in canines has also led to the research and application of detection canines for conservation work.

Lance Novak

​Lance Novak is the Executive Director of the Canadian Kennel Club Foundation in a voluntary capacity and the full time Executive Director of the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC). He has over 28 years of experience in senior management and executive roles primarily in the regulatory and nonprofit sectors. He has also served and been involved in many Boards over the years with a common thread of a volunteerism and a social mandate.

Throughout his career, Lance has brought success and business growth through a variety of initiatives and projects. Lance is also a firm believer that success is achieved through engaged and motivated staff that are attuned and aligned to the needs of members, customers and stakeholders.

As a supporter and owner of purebred dogs for over thirty years (with perhaps a small bias to Irish Wolfhounds), Lance is proud and excited to have this opportunity to champion the mission and goals of the Canadian Kennel Club Foundation. He sees a world of opportunity for the Foundation to flourish and delivery on its mandate to improve the canine-human relationship and the health of Canadian dogs.

​Lendra Barker

Lendra became active in CKC events shortly after the purchase of her first Doberman Pinscher in 1979. She and her husband Brian have also shared their home with an English Springer Spaniel and a Toy Manchester Terrier. Dobermans however, are her passion and several have shared their home over the years.

Lendra is a CKC Life Member, CKC Director for Zone One and President and Show Chair of her local all-breed club. She has served as President, Vice- President and Membership Secretary for her National Breed Club and is also a member of the American National Breed Club. She believes that members should be active and has worked on shows as Chair, Ring Steward and Superintendent.​As an exhibitor and past breeder she understands the importance of research, health testing and selective breeding to produce the best possible companions. She welcomes the opportunity to join the Canadian Kennel Club Foundation as a Board member and supports the Mission of the CKCF to improve health and longevity in dogs and to celebrate the love of dogs in general.

​Lisa Handfield

Lisa Handfield is a lawyer by training and a dog lover at heart. She enjoys participating in many of the Canadian Kennel Club's recognized dog activities including confirmation with her Boxer, agility with her French Bulldog, and lure coursing with her Basenji.

​In addition to actively volunteering with the Alberta Boxer Club, Lisa is excited to contribute her time to advancing the goals of the Canadian Kennel Club Foundation.

​Louis Sylvestre

Louis has been a Quebec Bar and a Canadian Bar Association member since 1977 as well as a teacher at the Faculté de Droit of Université de Montréal since 1982. He was also the recipient of Lawyer Emeritus distinction by the Quebec Bar in 2012.

He has been a practicing attorney in Berthierville since 1982, mostly in administrative and environmental law, planning law and the protection of agricultural land resources.

Richard Paquette

​Richard has been involved in purebred dogs since 1971. Though he has owned and bred a variety of breeds, Shih Tzu and Lakeland Terriers are his primary passions and he is proud to have produced hundreds of Canadian and American champions as well as multiple Best In Show and National Specialty winning dogs.

In addition to breeding dogs, Richard was a professional handler for 15 years. During that time he finished over 500 champions in 80 different breeds, winning over 150 All Breed Best in Shows. Today, Richard is an active All-Breed judge who can be found judging dogs all over the world.

In his spare time, Richard is an active advocate for our four-legged friends, serving on the executives for a number of dog clubs and as a member of the Board of Directors for the Canadian Kennel Club. He is thrilled to have the opportunity to give back to the dogs he loves so much through his work on the Canadian Kennel Club Foundation Board of Directors.

Dr. Rod Jouppi, DVM

​Rod has been practicing veterinary medicine for over 35 years, having graduated with his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1978 from the Ontario Veterinary College. Having owned Walden Animal Hospital from 1990 to 2014, he has an extensive background in companion animal medicine with additional insight into wildlife care gained as the founder and president of theWild at Heart wildlife rehabilitation centre. Based on his experience, he has consulted in the development, implementation and management of humane community animal care and control programs.

Over the past 10 years, Rod has been the Director of Animal Care / University Veterinarian at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario and an assistant professor at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. Rod’s interests have included a strong focus on animal welfare, as is evident in his roles as chair of the Animal Ethics and Welfare Committee at the American Animal Hospital Association, and membership on both the American Veterinary Medical Association's Animal Welfare Committee and the World Small Animal Veterinary Association's Animal Wellness and Welfare Committee. Rod has been a member of the Canadian Kennel Club Foundation since 2012 and also sits on the Canadian Kennel Club's Responsible Dog Ownership Committee.

​Sarah Proceviat

Growing up in Ontario, Sarah’s family always owned purebred Brittany Spaniels. Her love of animals resulted in her volunteering and completing academic placements at numerous veterinary clinics and wildlife rehabilitation centres. She completed post-graduate research focusing on wildlife management, behaviour and disease control.

​After working throughout Ontario, in the animal care, wildlife and environmental management sectors, Sarah moved to Alberta where she spent time focusing on wildlife and then moved in to overall environmental management. She now owns an environmental consulting company and resides on a ranch in the Foothills, where she spends most of her time with her two Labrador Retrievers and Akbash-Maremma livestock guardian dogs.

Sarah is involved with Retriever hunting clubs and is currently enrolled in courses focusing on canine massage and rehabilitation services. As her canine companions have always been considered to be family, she is looking forward to using her background and knowledge to support the Canadian Kennel Club Foundation’s missions and goals.

​​Shannon Van Norman

Shannon realized quite young that she had a passion for dogs. She began as a breeder of Newfoundlands and now breeds exclusively Clumber Spaniels. She has bred many Best in Show and Best in Specialty winners shown internationally. Shannon has often merged her passion with her professional life. She owned and operated a successful grooming and training facility in Edmonton for 19 years and also opened the first Pet Bakery in Edmonton.

Shannon has been a member of the Canadian Kennel Club for 22 years and is currently the President of the Clumber Spaniel Club of Canada and a member of the Clumber Spaniel Club of America, the Edmonton Kennel Club, and the Newfoundland Club of Alberta. She has organized several National Specialties and breeding related seminars as well as several fundraisers to raise funds for dog clubs and dog related charities.

Shannon has planned and coordinated events for more than 25 years, including as a Convention and Special Events Coordinator for SCM Insurance Services. Shannon is currently working on her Event Planning Certification. She lives in Edmonton, Alberta with her husband and is surrounded by family including their six adult children and, of course, their dogs.

​​Stewart Dankner

Stewart has been around purebred dogs all of his life. Family dogs included, Standard Dachshunds, Irish Setters, mixed breeds and the Rhodesian Ridgeback. Together with his wife Jacquie, the Cedarpoint Kennel name was born and has produced many champions, specialty winners, coursing champions, tracking and hunting dogs. Stewart is now a Conformation Judge with the Canadian Kennel Club and is working towards his all-breed status. Stewart has a particular interest in Canine Anaesthesia and Canine Bleeding disorders.

While dogs are Stewart's passion, he also sits on the Board of the Canadian Coalition for Green Healthcare and is an advocate for Climate Change Resiliency, volunteers with various organizations for the sole purpose of philanthropy and he is currently working for a major healthcare organization. Stewart currently sits as president of a regional breed club, an executive member of a local all-breed club and actively participates in rare breed shows.

Accountability

As a registered Canadian charity, The Canadian Kennel Club Foundation is required by the Income Tax Act to file annual returns with Revenue Canada. More than that, we recognize that earning your continued support requires openness and transparency about how we spend the money you donate. We're happy to say that, after a quiet period, beginning in 2014 the Foundation has been rejuvenated. We're sure you'll agree that our health and pawsitivity grants are leading the way toward a dynamic and active future.

Check out the links below to read minutes from our Annual General Meetings as well as our audited financial statements.